Amphibian

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amphibian : any of a class (Amphibia) of cold-blooded vertebrates (such as frogs, toads, or salamanders) intermediate in many characters between fish and reptiles and having gilled aquatic larvae and air-breathing adults — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook

Thesaurus

Roget’s II (Thesaurus.com), Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, Visuwords

Encyclopedia

Amphibians are vertebrates that is four-limbed and ectothermic of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramatic decline in amphibian populations for many species. — Wikipedia

Amphibian (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Amphibians (David B. Wake & Michelle S. Koo, Current Biology)
Meet Amphibians (AmphibiaWeb, University of California, Berkeley)
AmphibiaWeb’s Illustrated Amphibians of the Earth (AmphibiaWeb, University of California, Berkeley)
AmphibiaWeb (YouTube Channel)

Amphibian Species of the World (Darrel Frost & American Museum of Natural History)

Amphibians (One Zoom)
Amphibia (Catalogue of Life)
Amphibian (WolframAlpha)

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Innovation

Science

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras). Birds, which are cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the scientific study of birds is the subject of ornithology. Thus, the definition of herpetology can be more precisely stated as the study of ectothermic (cold-blooded) tetrapods. Under this definition “herps” (or sometimes “herptiles” or “herpetofauna”) exclude fish, but it is not uncommon for herpetological and ichthyological scientific societies to collaborate. — Wikipedia

Herpetology (Encyclopædia Britannica)

126 Questions with Answers in Herpetology (Research Gate)

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Preservation

Conservation

Amphibians (Defenders of Wildlife)

Library

DDC: 597.8 Amphibia, Amphibians (Library Thing)
Subject: Amphibians (Library Thing)

Subject: Amphibians (Open Library)

LCC: QL 667 Amphibians (UPenn Online Books)
Subject: Amphibians (UPenn Online Books)

LCC: QL 667 Amphibians (Library of Congress)
Subject: Amphibians (Library of Congress)

Subject: Amphibians (WorldCat)

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Participation

Education

Amphibians (Science Trek)
Amphibians (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers)
Amphibians – Slimy Is Good (Biology4Kids)

MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources

Community

More News …

Frogs and Reptiles News -- ScienceDaily Snakes, lizards, alligators, frogs and toads. From habitat information to frogs in stem cell research, you will find all the reptile and amphibian news here.

190-year-old DNA reveals a hidden pangolin species
on August 26, 2026 at 12:46 pm
DNA from a nearly 190-year-old museum specimen has helped scientists confirm a distinct Himalayan pangolin species hiding in plain sight in Nepal and northern India. The discovery could give conservationists a powerful new way to trace illegally traded pangolin scales back to the species and regions being targeted by poachers.
Scientists discover a real-life “dragon” and...
on August 24, 2026 at 3:11 am
Scientists discovered a small, yellowish mountain horned dragon in Thailand and named it Acanthosaura syrax after a dragon from House of the Dragon. Found only in a narrow band of high-elevation forest, the distinctive new species could become a flagship for protecting its rare mountain habitat.
A new Ice Age species was hiding in la brea tar...
on August 16, 2026 at 7:33 am
Scientists have discovered a new extinct amphibian species hiding in the fossil collections of Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits. Named Spea labreae, the Ice Age spadefoot toad is an exceptionally rare find—only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian has ever been identified in North America. Its bones had been sitting in collections since the 1950s before a researcher noticed features that set it apart from known species.
A 236-million-year-old fossil could rewrite the...
on August 13, 2026 at 9:53 am
Scientists may have uncovered evidence that a mammal ancestor was giving birth to live young 236 million years ago. A fossilized cynodont showed a neonatal growth line and an unusually large birth size that closely match patterns seen in modern mammals. The discovery could push the evolution of live birth back by up to 95 million years. It also raises the possibility that many supposedly “modern” mammalian traits evolved surprisingly early.
240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a...
on August 10, 2026 at 11:40 am
A 240-million-year-old reptile discovered in Brazil is revealing what evolution looked like just before the rise of dinosaurs and crocodiles. The small predator had unusually positioned legs that may have allowed it to move more efficiently than many earlier reptiles. Its close relatives were previously known mostly from other continents, suggesting these ancient animals spread much farther across the Triassic world than scientists realized.

Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.

XY or ZW? Gecko chromosomes reveal evolution's...
on August 27, 2026 at 6:00 pm
Why do humans rely on XY chromosomes to determine sex, while birds use ZW—and many reptiles use neither, letting temperature decide instead? Sex determination is remarkably diverse across the animal kingdom. In genotypic sex determination (GSD), sex is encoded in the genome: XX individuals are female and XY males in humans and most mammals, while in the ZW system, found in birds and some reptiles, males are ZZ and females ZW.
Species discoveries reveal emerging biodiversity...
on August 27, 2026 at 12:20 pm
We share our planet with millions of plants and animals. This variety of life is known as biodiversity, a term encompassing everything from microscopic genes to entire ecosystems, such as deserts and vibrant coral reefs.
Some Galápagos 'yellow' sea turtles remain...
on August 27, 2026 at 4:00 am
Sea turtles are famous for being prodigious wanderers. Guided by Earth's magnetic field, ocean currents and the sun, they tend to crisscross the seas in search of food, returning to the region of their birth every few years to breed. So when scientists discovered a population of sea turtles that appear to be very much homebodies, they were taken aback.
Kyoto's gardens provide habitats for local...
on August 19, 2026 at 11:20 pm
Where they could once hop and amble freely, urbanization is diminishing amphibians' habitats. Yet small-scale water bodies managed by people—such as those found in the gardens of Japan's temples, shrines and schools—remain within urban areas, providing oases for our moist neighbors.
Evolutionary process behind live birth in lizards...
on August 19, 2026 at 9:00 pm
Scientists studying one of nature's greatest reproductive innovations have discovered how some lizards evolved from laying eggs to giving birth to live young. The new research is the first to reveal the evolutionary process behind this important biological change and offers a unique insight into how other species—including mammals—may have evolved to give birth to live young millions of years ago.